Another day, another Broadway delay.
Skeleton Crew, starring Phylicia Rashad and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, is the latest Broadway production hit by Covid-19 performance cancellations.
According to Deadline, the play’s opening night has been pushed back as the show canceled performances through Jan. 9.
Opening night was scheduled for Jan. 19, but has been moved back. Previews are currently set to resume Jan. 10. A new opening night has not been announced.
Skeleton Crew is set in 2008 Detroit and “follows a small automotive factory on the brink of foreclosure, with a tight knit family of workers hanging in the balance. With uncertainty everywhere, the line between blue collar and white collar becomes blurred, and this working family must reckon with their personal loyalties, their instincts for survival and their ultimate hopes for humanity.”
Rashad co-stars with Chanté Adams, Joshua Boone, Brandon J. Dirden and Adesola Osakalumi.
This is the latest in a slew of Broadway cancellations, closures and schedule changes.
As previously reported by The Root, Jagged Little Pill, Waitress, Ain’t Too Proud and Thoughts of a Colored Man all closed as a result of Covid-19 cancellations.
Hamilton, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Freestyle Love Supreme were all forced to cancel performances during the lucrative holiday week.
While Broadway performers, backstage crew, staff and audiences must be vaccinated and wear masks, the theater industry has been hit particularly hard by the Omicron variant surge.
The rise in Covid-19 cases led to a positive test for Whoopi Goldberg, causing her to miss a week of The View.
Late night talk show host Seth Meyers was also forced to cancel a week of Late Night with Seth Meyers shows after he tested positive.
With experts predicting a dangerous post-holiday surge, these cancellations will become more frequent, and probably lead some shows to return to remote production.